A Bit of Normalcy
by It's Almost A Secret
Summary: Elsa is still a bit unsure of herself in her new role as queen. After thirteen years of isolation, she has never had a chance to get to know her subjects. With Anna off visiting Kristoff's family, Elsa decides to take a walk in a more inconspicuous pair of shoes.


**So I am, of course, still working on "The Hands of Fate," but I've just finished a couple of particularly troublesome chapters and was in need of a break. This little oneshot idea has been tugging at me for a while, so I thought I'd give it a shot in my down time. As much as I'm enjoying writing my AU, I kind of wanted to try my hand at what happens after the movie as well. This was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you'll enjoy it. **

* * *

Elsa spun around in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection from every angle. She had wrapped herself in a plain brown cloak, garb more suited to a commoner than a queen. Elsa almost didn't recognize herself, familiar as she was with the finery she'd garbed herself in from the time she was very young. The hood of the cloak even covered her platinum blond hair, dulling her appearance significantly. Had her ice-blue eyes not been staring back at her, Elsa might not have been sure the reflection was her own.

There was a knock at the door, and Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin. "Just a minute!" she shouted. She tore the cloak off, crumpled it into a ball and shoved it under her bed. She straightened herself up, smoothing the hairs that had been knocked out of place when she'd pulled off the hood. "Come in!" she said, still slightly flustered. She folded her hands in front of herself, trying to appear collected and casual.

"Elsa?" the door opened and Anna's voice drifted in. Anna appeared a moment later. She looked Elsa up and down, taking in her sister's slightly haggard appearance and the guilty look on her face. "Are you okay?" Anna asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

Elsa gave what she hoped was her most convincing smile and replied, "Yes of course. Did you need something?"

Anna didn't seem convinced by Elsa's performance, but she was apparently willing to let it slide for the time being. "I just stopped by to say goodbye. We're going to be headed out soon. Are you sure you'll be alright while I'm gone?" Anna bit her lip. She was still nervous about the prospect of leaving Elsa on her own.

Elsa smiled again, this time with sincerity. Anna and Kristoff were taking a journey into the mountains to spend some time with Kristoff's family. The two been dating for about a month now and had figured it was time to share the news with the trolls. They would only be gone until the following evening, but Anna had still checked with Elsa no less than ten times to make sure she was okay with it.

"I'll be absolutely fine, Anna. I'm not _that_ dependent on you, you know," she teased. In truth though, she did understand some of her sister's reluctance. The two of them had not been separated since Elsa had thawed the winter she'd cast over Arendelle two months ago. Elsa was a bit worried too, in truth, but she swallowed her apprehension for her sister's sake. They were both adults and they needed to be able to lead their own lives.

Anna pretended to be offended by Elsa's statement, before her face broke out into a wide grin. She closed the distance between herself and Elsa and pulled her sister into a tight hug. "I'll see you soon then," she said, giving an extra squeeze for emphasis.

"You two behave yourselves," Elsa said as she pulled away, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Anna merely stuck out her tongue. She stepped back, gave a another small wave, and then she vanished, closing the door behind her.

Elsa stood in the silence for a moment, listening carefully until she was sure that Anna had truly left. When she was sure the coast was clear, she returned to her bedside and retrieved the cloak she'd hidden there. She held it up before her, studying it once more. She would, of course, miss Anna, but Elsa had her own ideas about how to pass the time while her sister was away.

* * *

Elsa walked through the halls with her held held high, the picture of regality. She inclined her head to the servants that passed, offering a polite smile. She shifted the bundle under her arm, feeling for all the world like a child hiding a secret.

She managed to make her way to the front of the castle without drawing any undue attention, and she slipped into one of the empty drawing rooms. She locked the door behind her and took a deep breath as she undid the bundle she'd been carrying. It consisted of a plain dress and shoes and the brown cloak she'd tried on earlier that morning. She changed quickly, folding her own much more ornate outfit neatly and leaving it hidden beneath the cushions of the couch. She pulled the cloak on and tied it around her neck, then glanced at herself in the large, full length mirror. Elsa was quite pleased with the result. Taking one more breath to steel herself, she slipped out of the drawing room and then out the front door.

She made her way down the steps carefully, tugging on the hood to make sure it was in place. As she approached the open gates, she bit the inside of her lip to calm her nerves, but to her relief none of the guards gave her more than a passing glance. Perhaps they thought she was one of the maids or the serving girls. Elsa smiled to herself, silently enjoying her victory.

Ever since she'd been a little girl, Elsa had been isolated, locked away in her bedroom. She'd hardly ever even ventured out into the halls of the castle, never mind the streets of the land she would one day be expected to rule. Now that she had taken the throne, Elsa was not only getting to know her sister for the first time, but her people as well, and she was fast realizing how much she had to learn. It was hard for her to remedy this as their queen. Whenever Elsa ventured out into town in her royal garb, surrounded by an entourage of guards, people cheered and clamored for a better view, but they kept their distance. Elsa had always been above them due to her station, and her powers had always made her feel even more like an outsider. Now that the ice and snow were finally under her control, she wanted to walk among her people as an equal for the first time in her life.

Elsa passed through the gates and made her way into town. She was secretly surprised by how easy it was to walk in shoes that lacked heels, and how comfortable the simple dress she'd donned was. She smiled to herself as she passed onto the cobblestone streets.

There were people all around her now, and Elsa paused for a moment, apprehensive. Yet none of them seemed to pay her any mind. They hardly even glanced her way. Elsa supposed this was not surprising. Even had her disguise not been as convincing as it was, thirteen years locked behind the palace gates meant that most of the citizens of Arendelle were not overly familiar with their queen's face. It was something Elsa was working to rectify now that the castle gates were open, but at this particular moment she was grateful for the degree of anonymity.

She stepped out into the street, marveling at the hustle and bustle around her. There were so many people, and they were all walking so _close_ to her. Elsa suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic, but she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and reminded herself that her powers were under control now. There was nothing for her to fear.

"Hey, get out of the road!" came a shout from her right. Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin, turning to face the angry cart driver who'd addressed her. Embarrassed, she realized that she had stopped short in the middle of the street, effectively blocking the flow of traffic. She darted out of the way and onto the sidewalk, heart still pounding.

Yet despite the shock, she smiled. It was the first time anyone had yelled at or scolded her since her parents' death; no one would dare raise their voice to Queen Elsa of Arendelle. In her disguise she was the same as everyone else. It made her feel normal for the first time in years.

Elsa continued to make her way down the street, studying the faces of the people she passed. It was strange to see those faces so intent on their own tasks, going about their own business, rather than fully focused on Elsa with wide eyes. It was unsettling, but in the best possible way.

The streets were alive with motion at this time of the day. Vendors sold their wares and people rushed to-and-fro, chattering with friends or simply headed to their next destination. The cacophony of sights and sounds and smells almost threatened to overwhelm Elsa, accustomed as she was to the sterile quiet of the castle halls, where only Anna's voice ever seemed to break the silence.

Elsa continued on in this way for a few minutes, stopping to admire some of the wares being sold at the stalls along the road. The goods were of far poorer quality than anything Elsa had ever owned, but they had their own sort of rough, handmade charm.

She found herself in front of a cart that was lined with a display of small, hand-carved wooden statues. She turned one over in her hands, feeling the smooth finish of the wood against her fingers. It was a statue of a dove, its wings spread wide as though it were soaring, happy and free. Elsa felt an inexplicable fondness for the small statue as she studied it.

"A fine choice," came a female voice. Elsa started, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She looked up to find the owner of the cart smiling at her. She fidgeted slightly under the woman's gaze.

"Uh yes," said Elsa, suddenly in a hurry to leave. She would feel bad to have wasted the woman's time though, so she asked quickly, "How much for it?"

The woman smiled again, eyes sparkling at the prospect of a sale. "Normally I would charge more, but you seem like such a nice young lady. Four copper pieces should settle it."

Elsa flushed slightly. She'd never even seen a copper piece. She had no idea whether that was a lot of money or not, or whether the price was considered fair. Everything Elsa had ever paid for had been taken care of by the treasury. Feeling extremely self-conscious, she pulled a silver coin from the pocket of her cloak, the smallest change she had. Elsa had thought to bring a small amount of money into town with her, but she hadn't realized that what she considered a small amount might not be common opinion.

The cart woman's eyes seemed to widen slightly at the sight of the silver, as though she hadn't expected Elsa to produce such a large sum of money. She studied Elsa's face for a moment, but made no comment as she returned the proper amount of change, practically clearing out the small wooden box of coins she held in the process. She handed the statue back to Elsa, now wrapped in simple brown paper. The smile had returned to her face as though nothing had happened. "Thank you kindly dear," she said before hurrying off to assist another potential buyer.

Elsa scurried from the stall, her purchase clutched tightly to her chest. She held the small package in her hands, studying it with a small smile on her face. It was the first purchase she had ever made in person at an actual shop. Feeling rather pleased, she slipped the small parcel into her pocket, where the change she'd just received jangled merrily upon contact.

"A flower for the pretty lady?" came a voice from somewhere behind Elsa, and she jumped again, cursing herself for being so constantly on edge. Looking up, she realized that she had wandered in front of a florist's stall. The man who had addressed her appeared to be her age, perhaps a bit older, and he was holding out a small, pink flower in her direction.

Elsa could feel heat rising to her cheeks, and she cursed herself yet again for becoming so flustered. A queen was supposed to be able to remain calm and collected in any situation, yet here she was, blushing like a school girl. Male attention was something Elsa had very little experience with and (the thought came before she could suppress it) the young man before her was fairly attractive despite his common appearance. She accepted the flower shyly, and the young man's eyes lit up.

"The color of the flower compliments your lovely eyes," he said flirtatiously, moving a bit closer.

Elsa took a step back, suddenly very uncomfortable. "Oh, t-thank you," she stuttered, mortified as she felt the heat in her cheeks intensify. With one last smile, she turned away and hurried back down the street, still blushing furiously.

The rest of the afternoon passed in much the same manner. Though Elsa was enjoying herself immensely, the sensation of being treated like a common person was so foreign that she found herself constantly caught off guard. At one point a gruff looking man had bumped into her and shouted, "Watch where you're walking!" as he hurried away. Elsa had been so shocked by the lack of manners in the way he'd addressed her that she'd stayed rooted to the spot, watching his retreating back, for almost a full minute.

She'd found, however, that most of her subjects were a good deal kinder. She watched them all day long, in their interactions and the way they went about their daily lives. She watched customers haggle with shop owners (a concept so foreign that it had fascinated Elsa to no end), she'd watched a woman at a baker's shop offer a cookie to a delighted child, she'd seen a young man offer to help an elderly woman carry her packages. She felt a warmth in her heart as she watched each of these interactions, feeling closer to her people than she ever had before.

Finally, after several hours of wandering, the sun began to dip lower in the sky and Elsa decided she should make her way back to the castle before darkness fell. She began to pick her way back through the crowd, now a good deal more confident than she'd been when she first set foot in the market place.

She was about halfway back when she became aware of a commotion on the street to her right. She smelled the smoke first, the flames only coming into view when she'd managed to inch her way closer to the scene.

It was the baker's shop she'd passed earlier, but now it was engulfed in flames. The woman she'd seen behind the counter was out on the street in front of the shop, rooted to the spot as she watched her livelihood go up in flames. There were a couple of men trying to douse the flames with buckets of water from the nearby well, but their progress was too slow. The flames had already risen too high and were only growing stronger.

If the fire wasn't put out soon it would spread, Elsa knew. It had happened before. When one building caught fire like this it often took out a better part of the block before it could finally be brought under control.

Elsa stepped forward, completely forgetting that she was in disguise as she surveyed the scene. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd, icy magic building within her. She rushed towards the fire and, just as the people around her began to look at her with confusion, she planted her feet and released a blast of wind and snow. It swirled out around the entirety of the building, the frozen air smothering the flames almost immediately. Snow blanketed the roof of the shop, dripping down the sides as it melted in the residual heat of the now-extinguished fire.

The street had gone completely quiet. Elsa's hood had blown back when she'd released her magic, but her powers had already exposed her. A ripple went through the crowd, murmurs of "It's the queen!" suddenly rising up around her. Every person on the street dropped to one knee in a sign of respect for Elsa's presence.

Elsa was frozen in place, completely at a loss for how to react. She almost never used her powers like this outside of the castle gates. She knew that some of her subjects were still wary of her and what she was capable of, so she tried to keep her icy magic under wraps as much as possible. Yet now she'd just loosed them on a crowded street. What must these people be thinking?

Elsa glanced at the faces that surrounded her. The expressions on those faces were familiar now, the wide eyed looks of awe and respect that she usually commanded. Gone were the normal, everyday people she'd walked among only hours before, all she saw now were her subjects. She turned her gaze to the right. She could see the young man who'd offered her the flower, now staring at her with a look of shock upon his face. She turned her gaze away, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Then, suddenly, a cheer began to swell within the crowd. The people were rising back to their feet, most of them clapping or cheering or whistling. Their eyes were bright. They did not look on her with fear, but rather with gratitude and joy.

The woman who owned the bakery approached. There were tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, bowing low as she addressed her queen. Elsa bid her rise, unsure of what else to say in response to the sudden outpouring of approval.

She gazed at the faces around her, feeling the most acceptance she had since she'd ascended the throne. She smiled.

* * *

Anna did not return until late the next evening. Elsa was already in her nightgown, reading a book on her bed, when the door flew open.

"Elsa!" came Anna's voice, tearing through the silence of Elsa's solitude as it always did. Anna took a flying leap from the doorway, landing on the bed with such force that Elsa nearly went flying over the side.

Elsa closed her book and set it aside, smiling at her sister's boundless energy. "How was your trip?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap.

Anna's smile widened. "It was great! Kristoff's family was very accepting. Most of them said they'd known we'd end up together from the very beginning, but you know how trolls are," she said, waving her hand and giggling slightly. Elsa almost amended this statement with the fact that, no, she didn't really know how trolls were, but she thought better of it.

Instead she said simply, "That's wonderful, I'm glad you two had a good time."

Anna bounced slightly. "So how were you while we were gone? Did you miss me?"

Elsa smiled to herself. Anna spent a lot of time beyond the castle walls these days, and the story of the queen's day in town was most likely the only thing anyone was talking about at the moment. Anna would hear the story eventually, so Elsa decided to keep her secret for a while longer. "It was fine. Uneventful," she said, almost unable to keep the laughter out of her voice.

Anna looked at her strangely, then glanced over Elsa's shoulder. "What're those?" she asked, gesturing to the small wooden statue and the pink flower that Elsa had placed on her bedside table. Elsa glanced over at them as well. They stood out starkly against the rest of the finery that decorated the queen's bedchambers.

She thought for a moment and then replied with a smile, "Just a bit of normalcy."


End file.
